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Pushing the Pedal to the Metal - BET.com looks back at African-Americans who blazed through racial barriers and took the racing world by storm. —Britt Middleton  Wendell Scott is regarded as the most prolific African-American racecar driver to ever hit the track. He faced great racial barriers over his career, but eventually became the first African-American to start in a NASCAR race (the Spartanburg 200 in Spartanberg, South Carolina, on March 4, 1961) and went on to compete in roughly 495 more NASCAR races from 1961 through 1973. (Photo: ISC Archives via Getty Images)

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Charlie Wiggins - In the 1920s, after white-majority racing circuits refused to let Charlie Wiggins race, he started a popular racing league for African-Americans, the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes. Wiggins was a four-time champion of the Gold and Glory circuit, earning the nickname “the Negro Speed King." (Photo: Courtesy Wikicommons)

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Willie T. Ribbs - In his first year of professional racing, Willie T. Ribbs won the Dunlop Championship in 1975 and later won the pole in the Long Beach Formula Atlantic race in 1982. He is best known for becoming the first Black person to test for the Formula 1 Grand Prix team in Estroil, Portugal, in 1986, and in 1991 became the first African-American to race in the Indianapolis 500. He also was a member of the CART circuit and drove a car co-sponsored by comedian Bill Cosby. (Photo: Courtesy Wikicommons)

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Darrell Wallace Jr. - The stock car driver has been pegged as NASCAR’s next prodigy. Already, Darrell Wallace Jr., 18, has won six races in the K&N Pro Series — the first African-American and youngest person to do so — and will make his first appearance in the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Sunday at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. (Photo: Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty Images)

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George Mack - In 2002, George Mack became the second African-American to race in the Indy 500, taking 17th place. His need for speed runs in the family: He is the older brother of Indy Pro Series and short track racer Lloyd Mack. (Photo: REUTERS/Robin Jerstad /Landov)

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Tia Norfleet - Tia Norfleet, the daughter of stock car racer Bobby Norfleet, became the first Black female to be licensed to drive in NASCAR in 2011. She has yet to enter her first NASCAR race, but has gained success in drag racing and on the shorter tracks circuit known as the late models, where she has earned two Top 15 finishes. (Photo: Courtesy Nascar.com)

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Chase Austin - Chase Austin’s racing drive started at age 8 when his father built him his first go-cart. Now 21, Austin’s already blazed an impressive path: In May 2011, he debuted with Willy T. Ribbs’ Racing in the Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he became the first African-American to start in a Firestone Indy Lights race. (Photo: Joey Foley/Getty Images)

Photo By Joey Foley/Getty Images

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Ryan Gifford - In 2011, Ryan Gifford earned two Top 5 and four Top 10 finishes in 12 races while competing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. The 23-year-old now is in his third season with Rev Racing. (Photo: Courtesy Nascar.com)

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Bill Lester - Bill Lester took the road less traveled to break into racing: While working full time for Hewlett-Packard as a project manager, Lester raced stock cars on the weekends and eventually took on the hobby full time, his first NASCAR race being the Busch Grand National Series in 1999. In 2009, he placed third in the Daytona 500 race.  (Photo: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images)